Thunderstorms and Sunsets...

rhamphotheca:

eximago: Spring Peeper (Psuedacris crucifer)

The Spring Peeper is a small chorus frog native to the eastern US and Canada (and, most importantly, my eternally damp backyard). The species name refers to the ‘x’ shaped mark usually present on their backs, though it may be incomplete or absent in some individuals. Spring peepers live in damp forested areas and are nocturnal predators of small invertebrates like insects and spiders. As tadpoles, they graze on algae and detritus and may be preyed upon by great diving beetles, snakes, skunks, and even other frogs.

Their common name refers to their high-pitched song which can be heard earlier in the season than most other species of frog. A lower-pitched trill is made aggressively to competitors. Their loud peeps can be heard up to two miles away, but the large numbers they gather in make it difficult to pinpoint their location, made only more difficult by the dense vegetation they hide in. They prefer to call in late evenings and through the night into the early morning. During this time, the female lies eggs at the edge of water that the male fertilizes. Tadpoles hatch and grow into frogs at about eight weeks of age.

Little TEK…when these guys start chirping in the spring it’s a sure sign the sturgeon are starting their spawning run